Every year, Mexico holds a National Drill (Simulacro Nacional), a country-wide exercise designed to test how prepared communities, schools, offices, and government agencies are in the event of a major earthquake. The drill is closely tied to painful memories: it commemorates the devastating earthquakes that struck Mexico City on September 19, 1985, and again on the same date in 2017, disasters that killed thousands and reshaped the country’s approach to disaster response.
As part of the 2026 edition, authorities are expected to once again activate the seismic alert system through cell phones, a technology that has become central to Mexico’s early-warning strategy in recent years. Unlike a text message, these alerts are designed to reach phones almost instantly with a loud, distinctive sound, giving people precious seconds to take cover or evacuate before shaking begins.
For many residents, especially those who lived through the 1985 or 2017 quakes, the drill is more than a bureaucratic formality: it’s a moment to review family emergency plans, locate the nearest safe zones, and make sure phones and devices are configured to receive the alert properly.
To find out the exact date, time, and step-by-step details of how the cell phone alert will work this year, read the full original report.
Source: Simulacro Nacional 2026: a qué hora es, fecha y cómo funcionará la alerta en celulares (jornada.com.mx). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: uair01, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).